Text © World of Showjumping

Ireland’s Cian O’Connor continues to strengthen his string of horses, and has acquired Harrie Smolders’ Kaspar R (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Baloubet du Rouet) and Zoe Osterhoff’s Kentucky TN (Verdi TN x Gratianus) to further solidify his team for the 2025-season. 

Kaspar R has been competed by Smolders since last summer, and quickly stepped up to five-star level with the Dutch rider. The 10-year-old gelding finished 2nd in a CSI5*-W 1.55m class in Stuttgart in November last year, ended 2nd in the CSI5*-W 1.55m Championat of Basel in January and 2nd in the CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix at Sentower Park in February. 

Kentucky TN recently placed 3rd in the CSIO3* 1.55m Grand Prix in Mannheim with Osterhoff, and finished 2nd in a CSI4* 1.55m Grand Prix at the Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, in March. 

“At Karlswood we are constantly developing and trading in top level horses for both ourselves and our partners,” O’Connor – who this month broke through into the world's Top 10 on the Longines Rankings for the first time in his career – tells World of Showjumping. “Over the past number of months we have invested in some young prospects and so when the opportunity arose to acquire two proven Grand Prix horses we were excited to be able to do so.”

“Both Kaspar and Kentucky have jumped brilliant recently – at the Dutch Championships and Manheim respectively – and I look forward to getting to know them both,” O’Connor concludes.